Learning Within Scripted and Nonscripted Peer-Tutoring Sessions: The Malaysian Context

Malaysia is undergoing a large educational reform movement that is moving toward student-centered learning. To date, however, Malaysian students have had little experience with cooperative-learning strategies. The author examined how Malaysian student peer tutoring might be most effectively structured. They randomly assigned 48 students in pairs in 2 Form 4 (Grade 10) physics classes to 3 levels of peer-tutoring structure: (a) sequence-questioning-explanation (students received scripts and question stems), (b) questioning and explanation (stems without script), and (c) questioning (neither stems nor scripts). Twice a week for 3 weeks, students listened to their teachers lecture, then interacted in tutoring pairs for 20 min. Malaysian students benefited from the more structured peer tutoring in comprehension and level of questions, illustrating that having students simply work together is not as effective as more structured interactions in which students learn how to interact through use of question stems and scripts. The skills maintained at least 4 weeks. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.